YES! National Student Writing Competition

An opportunity for students to write for an audience beyond the classroom, and personally reflect on topics that can be transformational, even life-changing.

The YES! National Student Writing Competition demonstrates how teachers can use YES! Magazine stories as the basis for thought-provoking writing. It also gives students an opportunity to voice their opinions and show off their exemplary writing.

Each quarter, students will have the opportunity to read and respond to designated YES! Magazine articles, using the same writing prompt to write a 700-word essay. One essay per age category is selected by YES! for being the most well-written and compelling, and for capturing the spirit of the article. Read these model essays—some from the former YES! Exemplary Essay Project— in addition to responses from the articles' authors.

Read Nicole's essay, "The Monster Within" about relationships and career opportunities in her life that have been lost because of her self-sabotaging behaviors, and how self-respect has helped her fight this monster.

Dakota Cline is a middle school student at Horizons K-8 in Boulder, CO. He read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article, "Standing With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School," an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, the two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus by the Taliban in 2012. Read Dakota's essay, "To Say 'Nah'," about the one thing he, Malala, and Rosa Parks all share: the drive to rebel.

Hamna Khalid is a junior at Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, NJ. She read and responded to the YES! Magazine article, "Standing With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School," an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, the two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus by the Taliban in 2012. Read Hamna's essay, "Education: Every Girl's Haq (Right) to Make Her Voice Heard," about amplifying the voices of those who have been less fortunate than her to receive a good education.

Kelsi Belcher is a freshman at Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan. She read and responded to the YES! Magazine article "Standing With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School," an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus by the Taliban in 2012. Read Kelsi's essay, "A Mother's Motivation," about how struggles through her adolescence presented her with a most precious opportunity.

Edward Ramirez is a freshman at KIPP Houston High School in Houston, TX. He read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article, "Standing With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School," an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, the two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus by the Taliban in 2012. Read Edward's essay, "Deprived of a Brain," about experiencing racism in school and his determination to continue learning despite the hurtful taunts and injustice.

Cate Landry is a student at Horizons K-8 School in Boulder, Colorado. She read and responded to the onlineYES! Magazine article, "I Can't Breathe Until Everyone Can Breathe," by Gerald Mitchell. Read Cate's essay, "Stay Tuned to Change the World" about how being aware of what's in the news is the first step in the path to justice.

Amani Lazarus is a middle school student at Palmetto Scholars Academy in North Charleston, South Carolina. She read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article "I Can't Breathe Until Everyone Can Breathe," by Gerald Mitchell. Read Amani's essay, "A Deafening Silence," about how we can't stand quietly while others scream in pain, that we must speak for those who have been silenced by social injustice.

Read Nicole's essay, "The Monster Within" about relationships and career opportunities in her life that have been lost because of her self-sabotaging behaviors, and how self-respect has helped her fight this monster.

Dakota Cline is a middle school student at Horizons K-8 in Boulder, CO. He read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article, "Standing With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School," an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, the two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus by the Taliban in 2012. Read Dakota's essay, "To Say 'Nah'," about the one thing he, Malala, and Rosa Parks all share: the drive to rebel.

Hamna Khalid is a junior at Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, NJ. She read and responded to the YES! Magazine article, "Standing With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School," an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, the two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus by the Taliban in 2012. Read Hamna's essay, "Education: Every Girl's Haq (Right) to Make Her Voice Heard," about amplifying the voices of those who have been less fortunate than her to receive a good education.

Kelsi Belcher is a freshman at Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan. She read and responded to the YES! Magazine article "Standing With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School," an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus by the Taliban in 2012. Read Kelsi's essay, "A Mother's Motivation," about how struggles through her adolescence presented her with a most precious opportunity.

Edward Ramirez is a freshman at KIPP Houston High School in Houston, TX. He read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article, "Standing With Malala: Meet the Teenagers Who Survived the Taliban and Kept Going to School," an interview with Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, the two friends of Malala who were also shot on the bus by the Taliban in 2012. Read Edward's essay, "Deprived of a Brain," about experiencing racism in school and his determination to continue learning despite the hurtful taunts and injustice.

Cate Landry is a student at Horizons K-8 School in Boulder, Colorado. She read and responded to the onlineYES! Magazine article, "I Can't Breathe Until Everyone Can Breathe," by Gerald Mitchell. Read Cate's essay, "Stay Tuned to Change the World" about how being aware of what's in the news is the first step in the path to justice.

Amani Lazarus is a middle school student at Palmetto Scholars Academy in North Charleston, South Carolina. She read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article "I Can't Breathe Until Everyone Can Breathe," by Gerald Mitchell. Read Amani's essay, "A Deafening Silence," about how we can't stand quietly while others scream in pain, that we must speak for those who have been silenced by social injustice.

Elizabeth Schmidt is a student at Kent State in Ohio. She read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article "I Can't Breathe Until Everyone Can Breathe," by Gerald Mitchell. Read Elizabeth's essay, "Compassionate Communities: Where Mindfulness Starts, Injustice Ends," about the importance of regaining the depth in our feelings so that we may live with awareness and connect with the rest of the world.

Naomi Blair is a student at Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri. She read and responded to the online YES! Magazine article "I Can't Breathe Until Everyone Can Breathe," by Gerald Mitchell. Read Naomi's essay, "Black Girl, White Space" about the prejudice she faces in her AP class and the experiment she is doing to expose this injustice.

Karen Jordan is a student at a therapeutic boarding school in northwestern Montana. She read and responded to the YES! Magazine online article "I Can't Breathe Until Everyone Can Breathe," by Gerald Mitchell. Read Karen's essay, "Love: Free of Fear and Judgment," about how feeling better in her own skin has helped her see the potential in our society.